Sunday, April 27, 2014

This is a recipe worth of a special occasion. It is rich, chocolaty, flaky sweet bread I can barely resist eating it all by myself.
I followed the recipe from Epicurious: Chocolate Babka with only a few minor adjustments. I halved the recipe to make a single loaf and I didn't use a lot of butter in the filling, just enough to cover the dough.
This is the second time I make it actually and I will make it again for sure.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

I was in the mood for something with molasses. These mini cupcakes really hit the spot. I haven't baked much with molasses but I do like its rich flavor. I adapted a recipe I found on Epicurious. I will certainly keep this one handy because it was really easy, quick and the result is delicious! Next time I think I will double the amount and use one whole egg. A small amount of chopped walnuts or other nuts would be a nice addition giving a bit of a crunch.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

I was looking forward to try my hands on an upside-down cake. Mine didn't caramelize much since I quickly removed it from the stovetop. Nevertheless, the cake along with the topping is really tasty - great flavor profile. This is a winner for using canned pineapples. The recipe is adapted from Cooking Light Dessert cookbook.

Pineapple-Coconut-Banana UpsideDown Case

2 T butter

1/2 cup brown sugar ( 7 T sugar + 1 tsp molasses)

1 (15 1/2 oz) can pineapple slices in juice

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup ripe banana, mashed

2 T oil (vegetable)

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375F.

Melt butter in a cast iron skillet (preferably 9 inch), sprinkle brown sugar evenly and arrange drained pineapple slices on top. Cook for a minute or two on the stove top to get some caramelization going.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Ever since I learned how to make hummus I try to keep the main ingredients on hand. I was looking forward to try a new flavor and I came up with this one - roasted tomato hummus. I have made this more than a couple of times and I keep getting back to it.

Sundried Tomato Hummus

1 T oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 T tahini

1/2 lemon, juiced (or more to taste)
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas

Chop the tomatoes and garlic in a blender.

Add the drained chickpeas with 1-2 T of their liquid.

Pour the tahini and lemon juice.

Blend adding more of the chickpea liquid if it becomes too thick.

Season with salt pepper and more lemon juice if needed.

Transfer to a container/bowl and drizzle some of the tomato flavored olive oil.